OPPT Chemical Fact Sheet EPA 749-F-94-007
CHEMICALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: 1-BUTANOL (CAS NO. 71-36-3)
prepared by
OFFICE OF POLLUTION PREVENTION AND TOXICS
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
August 1994
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Chemicals can be released to the environment as a result of their
manufacture, processing, and use. EPA has developed information
summaries on selected chemicals to describe how you might be exposed to
these chemicals, how exposure to them might affect you and the
environment, what happens to them in the environment, who regulates
them, and whom to contact for additional information. EPA is committed
to reducing environmental releases of chemicals through source reduction
and other practices that reduce creation of pollutants.
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WHAT IS 1-BUTANOL, HOW IS IT USED, AND HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED?
1-Butanol (also called butyl alcohol) is a flammable liquid. It
occurs naturally in certain fruits, dried beans, cheese, nuts, and fried
bacon. It is produced in very large amounts (1.3 billion pounds in
1992) by five companies in the United States. US demand is likely to
grow at a rate of 2% to 3% per year. The largest users of 1-butanol are
companies that make butyl acrylate, methacrylate, and other related
chemicals. Companies also add 1-butanol to plastics, hydraulic fluids,
and detergent formulations. Drug companies use 1-butanol as an
extractant and as an additive in certain medicines.
Exposure to 1-butanol can occur in the workplace or in the
environment following releases to air, water, land, or groundwater.
Exposure can also occur when people use products that contain
1-butanol or when they eat certain foods. 1-Butanol enters the body
when breathed in with contaminated air or when consumed with
contaminated food or water. It can also be absorbed through skin
contact. It does not remain in the body due to its breakdown and
removal.
WHAT HAPPENS TO 1-BUTANOL IN THE ENVIRONMENT?
1-Butanol evaporates when exposed to air. It dissolves when mixed
with water. Most direct releases of 1-butanol to the environment are to
air or to underground sites. 1-Butanol also evaporates from water and
soil exposed to air. Once in air, it breaks down to other chemicals.
Microorganisms that live in water and in soil can also break down
1-butanol. Because it is a liquid that does not bind well to soil,
1-butanol that makes its way into the ground can move through the ground
and enter groundwater. Plants and animals are not likely to store
1-butanol.
HOW DOES 1-BUTANOL AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT?
Effects of 1-butanol on human health and the environment depend
on how much 1-butanol is present and the length and frequency of
exposure. Effects also depend on the health of a person or the
condition of the environment when exposure occurs.
Breathing 1-butanol for short periods of time causes headaches in
humans. Direct contact with liquid 1-butanol irritates the skin.
Contact with 1-butanol liquid or vapor irritates the eyes, the nose, and
the throat. These effects are not likely to occur at levels of 1-butanol
that are normally found in the environment.
Human health effects associated with breathing or otherwise
consuming small amounts of 1-butanol over long periods of time are not
known. Workers repeatedly exposed to 1-butanol have developed adverse eye
effects and hearing loss. Laboratory studies show that repeat exposure to
1-butanol adversely affects the thyroid, the blood, the lungs, the
intestine, the liver, the kidneys, and the nervous system of animals.
1-Butanol by itself is not likely to cause environmental harm at
levels normally found in the environment. 1-Butanol can contribute to
the formation of photochemical smog when it reacts with other volatile
organic carbon substances in air.
WHAT EPA PROGRAM OFFICES REGULATE 1-BUTANOL, AND UNDER WHAT LAWS IS
IT REGULATED?
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EPA OFFICE LAW PHONE NUMBER
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Pollution Prevention Toxic Substances Control Act (202) 554-1404
& Toxics Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
Regulations (Sec. 313) (800) 424-9346
Toxics Release Inventory data (202) 260-1531
Air Clean Air Act (919) 541-0888
Solid Waste & Comprehensive Environmental
Emergency Response Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (Superfund)/
Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act / EPCRA (Sec. 304/311/312) (800) 424-9346
A technical support document can be requested from the TSCA Assistance
Information Service, (202) 554-1404.
WHAT OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES OR GROUPS CAN I CONTACT FOR INFORMATION ON
1-BUTANOL?
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AGENCY/GROUP PHONE NUMBER
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American Conference of Governmental Industrial
Hygienists (513) 742-2020
Consumer Product Safety Commission (301) 504-0994
Food and Drug Administration (301) 443-3170
National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) (800) 356-4674
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(Check your local phone book under U.S. Department of Labor)